There's an interesting story in here, and a far better Keaton performance within it too, but it is the kind of thriller that lacks the tension and excitement that it needed.

It has a lot on its mind that it wants to tackle, but that leaves much of the explorations it is undertaking feeling half-baked. This doesn’t drag things down too much, as it is mostly able to keep light on its feet, but it does make things a bit wobbly.

Unlike the real-life woman, Lee settles on being ordinary when it could have been extraordinary.

In North Star’s attempt to be sincere and heartfelt, everything feels weirdly prosaic and unduly sentimental. It all makes for an immensely forgettable film.

The Movie Teller is a beautiful and moving look into how cinema can bring a community together and how art can help to heal broken hearts.

It is a work of big emotions and heart in the middle of the worst time of a person’s life that is also one of the best films of the year.

Even when you then think it may have all settled down, the film twists the knife even further.

There are great ideas throughout Fingernails and strong filmmaker instincts, but it also feels like a film that should’ve gone just a bit deeper into this world, its love, and its ideas.

Dream Scenario is like a strange dream that doesn’t quite go in the direction you would’ve hoped, but still, you’re glad you got to experience that vision.

Across each twist in time and place that can rush together without warning, the grounding force to it all is Seydoux.

For as much care and passion that the Hawkes put into Wildcat, the film never knows what it wants to be or even what audience it wants to be speaking to.

Hell of A Summer might not have the most original premise, but Bryk and Wolfhard are fully aware of that, creating one of the most entertaining and crowd-pleasing slasher films of the 2020s.

Without the foundation of solid writing for Pine to direct from, everything ends up being lackluster and takes away from that aspect, no matter how strong the cast is and how cartoonish the situations are.

Rather than come away feeling like you’ve watched something truly daring or inventive, it all feels derivative. It is a film that is too mundane to even get mad at.

Hit Man is also simply one of the most thoroughly enjoyable films of Linklater’s career, an absolute delight to watch unfold and play out. He keeps the twists of the noir narrative fairly straightforward, leaving us to revel and admire in Powell’s comedic chops, the romantic entanglements, and the anticipation for when this relationship might go too far.

Boy Kills World comes across as obnoxious, and the viewer already feels exhausted within the first 15 minutes of the film. It's as if the creative team wanted to make a cult movie but completely forgot cult movies have to be fun.

There is a wonderfully withering sense of humor in how American Fiction explores this as all of the conversations Monk begins to have around the book he wrote as a joke sees it spiraling out of his control.

Yates makes Pain Hustlers part-rowdy dramedy, part-half-assed takedown, and entirely an underwhelming film that attempts to make apparent and bland points.

Foxx shines in every single moment that he's on-screen. He's able to hone in his comedic prowess and his dramatic chops delivering a performance that reminds us why he's a one-of-a-kind performer.

DuVernay took a big swing with Origin, and that’s certainly to be commended, but the film sadly doesn’t work more often than it does. The impact of the end makes the journey worthwhile, but it’s a rocky road to that conclusion.

Woman of the Hour is a tight, smartly handled thriller that may stumble at times with its thematic ideas, but wins you over with its deft handling behind the camera.

Waititi’s latest isn’t bad by any stretch, and isn’t close to his worst (again, Love and Thunder, watch your ass), but as a sports film and a comedy, it is fairly average.

The Holdovers is a wonderful revelation from an excellent director who proves he’s still able to take us by surprise.

If a film like this were to have anything less than perfection from its leads, it would likely fall to pieces. Thankfully, the story comes to life in the hands of two veteran performers at their very best.

The twist is detailed but not too convoluted, and in my view, it's not easy to see coming. If anything, A Haunting in Venice is a reminder that even when we are inundated with mystery stories, no one does it like Agatha Christie, and it's hard to believe that someone ever will again.

Timberlake's acting aside, Reptile is the perfect kind of digestible, mid-budget crime thriller that we just don’t get enough of.

In this David vs. Goliath battle, the film gives hope that change on a large scale could be possible and does this in a charming, entertaining narrative with a great cast from top to bottom.

It’s pretty easy to fall in love with Ari and Dante, but the movie is only in love with the idea of them, neglecting quality time between the characters that would really make us feel like they've traveled through galaxies and beyond.